The New Year
by Azzie-chan
Summary: A oneshot songfic based on 'The New Year' by Death Cab for Cutie. Takes place after the Tokyo Mew Mew series. The genre is a teensy but melodramatic.


_Hello, Azzie here again. I've never made a songfic before, or even anything based on songs (well the chapters of Renaissance sort of are). I've always loved listening to music and especially love songs that I can relate to or can understand easily. This fanfic is based on **The New Year **by **Death Cab for Cutie**. I hope you like it. _

_I started this in November and thought it would be submitted much earlier, but I abandoned it and decided to finish it today, so happy new year to everyone here at _

**_The New Year_**

Minto sat in her bed, looking out the foggy window at Tokyo, where people were celebrating the Japanese New Year. The New Year was a time to forget the past, to move on, but Minto didn't want to forget. True, the aliens were gone. True, Ichigo and Masaya had both left for England and Zakuro to the States for some modeling thing, but Mint felt as if she was the one who'd left them.

_So this is the New Year. _

She turned her head to see the laptop sitting at her very expensive desk. It was playing a series of American music videos that Ichigo claimed would help Minto get to know English, which she'd been trying to teach the younger girl before she left again.

"Minto-chan, darling! Come down; the guests are here!" Called her mother from the ground floor.

The pre-teen girl sighed and moved her gaze of the pink dress that lay on the bed next to her. It was pretty, yet simple. Pink reminded Minto of Ichigo's Mew Mew costume, even though they'd all long since lost the ability to transform. It was as if none of it had ever happened for Minto. Ichigo was with Masaya now, Retasu was much more outgoing now, Purin was a little more mature now and Zakuro was more friendly, but for Minto everything was back to how it was before as if it had just been erased.

_And I don't feel any different. _

"Minto-chan, please!"

She slipped on the dress and reluctantly headed downstairs, leaving Gerad Way screaming _Helena_ from her computer. As she stepped out of her room she managed to put on a happy face for the guests. Part of her was praying that the members of Tokyo Mew Mew would be there and she was disappointed when she reached the large dining room, around which sat a large group of wealthy families, just like hers.

Minto took a seat at her table and sighed at her plate, but no one was paying attention to her.

"Cheers to a good New Year!" Said her mother. Half-heartedly Minto raised her class and bumped it into all the other raised glasses within her reach.

_The clanking of crystal. _

Somewhere far away she could imagine the others having a blast. Somewhere far away from where she was now. Fancy parties that she used to love bored her once compared to the life of a Mew.

"Is something wrong, Minto-san?" Asked the polite lady sitting beside her.

"Oh no, nothing at all," Replied Minto brightly.

The lady chuckled. "Then perhaps you should consider eating that food instead of staring at it."

Minto returned the warm smile and began eating her dinner. It tasted good, but eating made her think of Cafe Mew Mew, another thing she missed. Ryou and Keiichiro had closed the cafe when everyone went their separate ways. It was as if Tokyo Mew Mew had been completely forgotten.

_Explosions off in the distance. _

Minto ate mostly in silence, ignoring conversation unless someone spoke to her directly. She felt detached, as if she was somewhere far away from here right now.

_So this is the New Year._

"Do you have any plans for the new year, Minto-san?" Asked the same kind lady.

Minto thought for a moment, even though she already knew she didn't. She planned to do just as she had every other year of her life. She planned to just go on as if nothing had happened.

_And I have no resolutions_

"You know, Minto-san, the new year is a time to refresh yourself. To leave everything else behind. Aren't you looking forwards to it?" It was the kind lady again, but Minto was beginning to wish she would just shut up.

She didn't want to forget everything. She didn't' want to forget anything. "Of course," She replied brightly.

_For self assigned penance, _

The kind lady smiled at her and then leaned back in her seat. "Well, that was delicious. Thank you for inviting me."

Minto agreed with that, which seemed to cue that she was no longer being anti-social. Everyone seemed to want to talk to her, which made Minto feel oddly claustrophobic.

_For problems with easy solutions._

Minto stood up abruptly, desperate to get out. "Mother, I'm feeling sick. Please excuse me." As soon as she was excused Minto hurried back up the red-carpeted staircase to her bedroom. In her closet she found her cafe uniform and put it on, checking herself in the mirror. It still fit perfectly and she was glad.

_So everybody put your best suit or dress on _

She wasn't really sure what she was doing, but Minto found herself sneaking out the side door into the night. She snuck around out onto the street and walked down past the few other houses on her street. She took a short cut and was out of the richer area in no time. It was easy to remember which way it was to the cafe; she'd taken this route a million times and now it was burned into her brain.

On some days she'd walked, but it was dark out and she didn't feel safe enough here in Tokyo to walk so she started towards the train station. When she got there she found it was packed with people. Eventually she managed to get on the train and sat down, staring at the window and looking out at the people celebrating; being happy.

_Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once _

The train was fast, but it seemed like forever before they reached her stop. The whole time she'd forced herself to ignore the looks she was getting for wearing such a strange outfit. She's always changed once she got to the cafe before and left her uniform there when she left. After Tokyo Mew Mew had broken up she'd taken her uniform. She didn't know if the others had, but she wanted something to remember the cafe by.

When she got off the train she found herself close to a residential area and realized with a jolt that she was in the wrong place. People were lighting fireworks, laughing as they exploded into sparks of color in the sky. Minto ignored this, feeling down.

_Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn _

She passed an apartment complex outside which a group of people were talking among each other. Their slurred voiced blended together in a senseless jumble. They were arguing, she realized. Her thoughts shifted to Ryou and Ichigo. Those two were always arguing; living proof that opposites did not attract. Well, maybe; at times it seemed like Ryou had a crush on Ichigo.

Minto smiled sadly and kept walking.

_As thirty dialogues bleed into one _

She stopped and looked around, having no clue where she was. She felt frustrated, even thought at first she'd only wanted to get away. Now that she wanted to get somewhere she hated not being able to. If only the stupid houses and apartments and condos and stores weren't in her way.

_I wish the world was flat like the old days _

Reluctantly, Minto turned and headed back to the train station. That walk took up the longest ten minutes of her life and when she discovered that the train had just left she felt like kicking something. So she kicked a poll. Attached to the poll she found a map. At first she was relieved, then she realized how far away she was from her destination.

_Then I could travel just by folding a map _

When the train finally came Minto consulted the map once more before she boarded. As it turned out, she'd gotten off three stops early. It felt like the right time, but she was feeling impatient. Even though it was obviously her fault, Minto blamed the train for the mix up.

As she sat staring out the window without taking anything in the black-haired girl wondered if her mother had noticed that she was gone. Probably she was too busy entertaining the guests. Hopefully she was too busy entertaining the guests.

_No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways_

When she finally arrived Minto dashed out of the train, down the street and towards the cafe. She didn't see it at first because the fence of bright orange plastic around it. It took her a moment before she realized what was going on; the cafe was being torn down. Obviously someone had bought the property and didn't want the big pink cafe there anymore. She stood behind the fence, looking at the cafe in the moonlight.

She wasn't sure what she'd wanted. To go inside? To see if the Mews were here? Either way the place was both off limits and abandoned. Disappointed and confused, Minto began the trek back to the train station.

_There'd be no distance that could hold us back _

Back at the Aizawa mansion, Minto managed to get back inside and up to her room without any problems. She'd been right about her mother being too busy entertaining the guests to check on Minto.

The ex-Mew lay down on her bed, closed her eyes and listened to the ending of the song that was now playing on her computer.The ending was repetitive and easy so she sang along with the very last line.

"So this is the New Year."


End file.
